Regardless
by Sendo Sheng
Summary: Ill-fated with diseases, Mei's time in the world is slowly eaten away by each passing day. Despite this, her best friend and love, Xiang, refuses to let the misfortunes of fate get in between them. Hoping that he can spend whatever time they can have together, before another world takes her from him.
1. Chapter 1

**__Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia**

**A/n: Hey guys ' v')/ It's been a while since I've uploaded anything huh? I'm really really sorry about that! I could say I've been busy and etc but really I just don't have much motivation to write nowadays. I still love writing but I'm not sure, I just don't feel like it most of the time. I wrote this wanting to upload it on the mid-autumn festival 3 days ago but was doing a lot of work so it took me till now to finish part 1 u_u But yes this will be a two-shot and I hope you guys enjoy it. I'm still working on the other series and requests and at the rate I'm writing it might take a while to do them unless I suddenly have the uncontrollable desire to write. Anyway until next update, see ya. **

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_**Regardless**_

Xiang sat quietly in class, staring out at the window to see the sweltering summer. That time was coming and he was eager to experience the seasons. But despite that, he had school for the entire year. Breaks only short weeks or even days. Soon enough the day came to an end and as everyone else rustled and rushed out to enjoy their weekends, Xiang coolly stood up and made his way out.

"Hey Xiang!"

Xiang looked over his shoulder to find his usual energetic friend. "Yong Soo," he greeted.

"So you want to hang out this weekend or something?" he asked.

"No," he said bluntly.

"Whoa you could at least explain why. You never want to hang out during the weekends."

"I already have plans. Is that enough?" he asked.

"Always so mysterious," he laughed.

The Cantonese teen only shrugged and continued his way to the entrance of the school. But before he could leave, something caught his attention. A letter was set inside of his locker. Raising an eyebrow he took it out, looking over it only to find a single heart set on the front.

"Oh~ what's that?" Yong Soo asked.

"I don't know; a letter?" he said sarcastically. Xiang quickly opened the letter and began to read.

"A love letter?" Yong Soo questioned. Xiang only shrugged and prepared to throw it away before Yong Soo stopped him. "Whoa! What are you doing?"

"I'm not interested…"

The Korean quickly snatched the letter from his hands, taking a moment to look over it. "You just can't do that! This girl put her feelings into this kind of writing. You could at least go and meet her and tell that to her. Just don't leave her standing there waiting for no one."

"You're surprisingly good at this stuff," Xiang commented. He shrugged, "I guess it would be good to at least do it in person."

"Of course! Besides, Korean dramas are the best around and I know a thing or two about romance. And who knows, maybe she'll be interesting."

"Maybe but I won't be interested." Without saying anymore, the two headed up to the roof, the amount of students gradually disappearing until only their footsteps echoed through the stairway.

Xiang pushed opened the door to the desolate rooftop where a girl stood alone. Yong Soo nudged him forward and he went over while the Korean stood back. The girl was obviously nervous but pleased that Xiang appeared. "H-hello," she greeted.

"Hey," he answered causally.

"So, you got my letter?" He nodded. "So…?" she said, awaiting his answer.

"I'm sorry but I have to decline. There's already somebody I'm interested in."

The girl's hopeful expression fell and she looked like she was going to cry. Xiang wanted to say something but there was nothing else to say. He had told the truth and there was nothing he could do about it. "I see…" she murmured. "Well thanks for coming to tell me that," she said, smiling weakly.

"You're welcome. And sorry about this." Xiang turned around and walked away, leaving the girl to have some privacy. When he reunited with the Korean, he looked a bit disappointed at what just happened.

"You couldn't have handled that any better?" he asked.

"I told the truth. What else do you want from me?" he inquired. "I'm not going to give someone false hope."

"I guess but you could have let her down more gently."

"She would have been disappointed either way. Better to get on with the truth rather than lead someone on." Yong Soo had nothing to say to that and the two continued until they left the school. As they approached the cross road, the two parted and went their separate ways. However Xiang was not going home. He had someone to see.

The sleek white hospital came into view as Xiang entered the parking lot. He had become a regular visitor so the guards didn't pay any mind to letting him in. When he entered the different wings, the unmistakable scent of medicine filled his senses. He should have gotten used to the smell but it was still unnerving all the same.

As he approached the private room, he knocked quietly and let himself in. The light of the sun poured in through the windows, cutting through the dreariness of the building. He smiled lightly as he closed the door and walked over to the bed. There was a sleeping girl he was all too familiar with. Her soft brown hair partially covered her face. Gently he brushed away the strands of hair covering it when a memorable gaze met his.

"Sleep well?" he asked, smiling softly.

She raised her hand, gently touching his cheek and smiling. "I guess so. I thought this was a dream for a second."

"Nope, I'm real."

She giggled and scooted over; making some room on her bed so he could lay next to her. Xiang took the invitation, crawling next to her, content when she laid her head against his chest. She snuggled into it, taking in his scent and warmth before looking up to him and smiling.

"I've missed you, Mei."

"You saw me yesterday," she giggled.

"And I've missed you for every second of it," he said, planting a kiss on her head.

"I can say the same. So tell me about your day."

Twirling a lock of her hair in his hand, he began to recount his day to her. Telling Mei about the lessons which she always seemed to be extremely interested in. "…So the day ended when I was about to come visit when…" he trailed off. Not sure if he should tell her about what went on with the other girl.

"What?" she asked curiously. "Is it something bad? Interesting? You're making me really curious."

"Well… I got a letter from a girl who confessed to me."

"Seriously?" she said, her eyes gleaming with interest. "What happened?"

"I rejected her obviously."

"I'm sure it wasn't very nice…"

"I didn't feel good about doing it but what else was I to do? I already have someone."

"Me?" she smiled.

"Yes you," he answered, kissing her forehead again.

An awkward silence began to grow, Mei seemingly staring into space before blinking and returning. "Xiang… Why do you stay with me?"

The Cantonese teen seemed to be taken aback but the sudden serious question but looked over to see her. "Because I love you. You know that."

"But… why? You could be better off with someone that isn't... in my condition."

Xiang thought about where she was going with this. The two's history together was deep. They knew each other from their childhood and even when they were toddlers. They gradually grew from being friends to best friends, almost inseparable. But Mei's eyes were bad and they only became worse over the years until now where she was at the point of almost being blind. And as if her misfortunes weren't enough, she had a rare disease that made her weaker than the average person.

Despite all her shortcomings, she never let them bother her because Xiang stood beside her regardless of whatever happened. Throughout the years that she was kept in the hospital, Xiang had always visited her without fail. And she wondered why he would ever be so loyal to her when he could easily just go to someone else. She wanted him to be happy, no matter how much it may hurt her.

"Mei…" he began. Placing his warm hand against her cheek, he softened his voice. "You're the only one for me. I'm here with you because of who you are. All those other girls can do whatever they want but they could never touch my heart in the way you have. I love you."

The Taiwanese girl smiled, leaning into his touch and placing her own hand on his face. "I love you too… I just wish I could go out and do things with you instead of being stuck here. I wish I could see the face of the person I love the most too."

"I know Mei," he said softly. He pulled the girl into a gentle hug, the two staying like that till the minutes turned to hours. Neither said anything, content just to be within the other's arms.

When visiting hours ended, Xiang reluctantly prepared to leave. "Xiang?" Mei suddenly said.

"Yeah?"

"So… the doctors said my health was improving. They said I could spend at least a day out and they highly suggested it. Better to do what I can before things get worse, right?"

"Really?" Xiang said with a surprised face. When she nodded, a mixture of unexplainable feelings welled up inside of him. "Would you like to go on a date tomorrow?" he smiled.

Mei immediately brightened and nodded. "I'd love to."

"Great," he said. "I'll come by as early as possible so we can have the full day to ourselves. I should go plan right now." Xiang prepared to bolt out the door until Mei grasped his hand.

Before he could ask what was going on, she pulled him into a gentle kiss. Even without being able to see him, she could still feel his full lips and the distinct smell that was his alone filled her senses. Xiang returned the kiss, gently caressing the side of her head. Neither wanted to part from this touch but the lack of air forced them apart. Mei smiled sweetly at the Cantonese teen.

"See you tomorrow."

"Y-yeah see you tomorrow."

With great reluctance, Xiang left her room. As he walked down the hallway toward the exit, a whirlpool of thoughts spiraled in his mind. Plans for tomorrow took up most of this space. But buried deep within it, he wondered how long he had to cherish Mei before fate would take her away from him.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia**

**A/n: Hey everyone ' v')/ I finally got around to writing something after that very long haitus. Although for a month I've just been working on my novel. I wanted to upload this yesterday but it still wasn't finished and I'd rather give you guys a completed story than one that wasn't. I hope you guys enjoy and thank you to my dear readers. **

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Xiang ran quickly over to the hospital as soon as the morning began to wane. He had woken up early to prepare something for a picnic and had carefully tasted everything to make sure that Mei would enjoy the feast that he had cooked. It might have been a little overboard but he had figured that Mei would be tired of the blain tastes of hospital food and wanted to give her a variety of different experiences with just flavor.

With the basket hanging around his arm, he soon reached the facility and went toward her room. When he knocked to enter, a nurse had let him inside and Xiang lost his breath. Mei was sitting on the edge of her bed wearing a white sun dress as she stared out to the window. She turned slowly, finally noticing his presence. "Xiang?" she asked.

He glided over the room and placed his hand gently in hers. "You look nice."

She smiled lightly and held his hand. "I've been waiting. The nurse helped me dress."

"It looks really nice," he commented. "Well shall we then?"

"Lead the way."

Helping the girl out of her seat, the two made their way out of the hospital as Mei placed a hat over her head, shielding her face from the bright sun. In her other hand, she held a guiding stick and moved slowly to avoid crashing in to anything. But Xiang was with her. He would make sure nothing would harm her while they made their way to the park.

The Cantonese teen felt the gazes of pedestrians glaze over them but he paid no mention to them. It didn't matter what anyone else thought of Mei or himself. He was happy to be with her and to him, she was the loveliest girl he had ever come to known. Xiang made sure to keep to keep pace with Mei, not wanting her to exert herself too much and conserve as much stamina as possible.

Mei held on tightly to Xiang's hand as they walked. She trusted him to keep her safe as the blurs of the streets in front of her passed by. Even with glasses or contacts, they had served to give her no improvement in her vision and she knew that eventually she would only be able to see darkness. But she never let that thought bother her because she knew that other people who were born without their sight still lived full lives. Xiang had often told her stories about those kinds of people.

As they continued to walk, the scent of fresh grass invaded her senses and she realized that they had come to a park. She could hear the sounds of other people and children laughing as they played. She could hear the songs of the birds that chirped nearby. Xiang found a shady tree were they could rest and laid out a blanket for her to sit own.

Kneeling down carefully, she touched the ground to make sure it was stable before sitting down. Xiang sat right next to her, place the picnic basket next to them as he breathed a sigh of relief. "Here we are. You hungry?"

"Just a bit," she admitted. "I'm more thirsty than hungry though."

"Hmm well I got just the thing for you then." Xiang peered into his basket and rummaged through the other foods before pulling out a cup and straw and handed to Mei.

Mei felt the cool touch of the cup in her hand and leaned forward, sipping lightly when something along with the sweet juice popped into her mouth. "Bubble tea!" she exclaimed, grinning widely as she continued to drink.

"Your favorite," he smiled. As Mei continued sipping the sweet drink, Xiang began to set up their lunch, laying it out and unwrapping.

A delicious scent filled the air and Mei stopped and sniffed, inhaling more of the odor and felt her stomach grumble. "That smells really good," she noted.

"Glad you think so. I made stuff that you wouldn't usually get in a hospital so enjoy." Xiang took a piece of dim sum and placed it close to Mei's mouth. The girl giggled and opened her mouth, letting him pop the steamed dish into it. She chewed softly, placing her hands on her cheeks as the wonderful sensation of the still warm food spread through her taste buds.

"This is delicious," she exclaimed. She opened her mouth greedily, "More please."

Xiang laughed and continued to feed her. A content smile lay on his lips as he watched her enjoying the meal he prepared. The two continued to eat until their bellies were full. Mei leaned back on her hands, sighing in satisfaction. "I haven't eaten like that in a long time," she mused.

Mei looked over to Xiang who sighed in agreement. She chuckled and quietly placed her hands on his head, pulling him into her lap. Xiang was startled by the action but didn't resist her as she began to run her hand through his hair. Smiling, he closed his eyes and enjoyed the peace he had with her. It was because he was here, sharing this time together that she could forget all about the disease that plagued her body and her creeping blindness. None of that ever mattered when she was with Xiang.

Eventually they changed their positions, lying next to one another and having their arms wrapped around each other and just letting the gentle breeze that blew across the park caress them. Mei's eyes were closed as she was close to drifting off into her dreams. Xiang's amber eyes were wide open as he looked at his girlfriend, smiling as he held her close to himself. She fit perfectly against him, her petit figure holding onto him as his strong arms held her.

"Xiang…" she said softly. "I love you."

He smiled lightly and whispered back, "I love you too."

Mei seemed to drift off into sleep at that point. Not wanting to disturb her, he kept his arms wrapped around her, wanting her to stay warm against him. They were lucky that the day was so sunny and any threats of cold were none. After a while, Xiang too fell asleep with Mei still closely pressed against him.

When he woke up again, the sun seemed to be setting and he let out a soft yawn. He looked to his side and saw Mei still resting against him and he gently shook her. "Mei, time to get up." Xiang waited for a moment but she didn't move and he shook her again. "Mei? It's time to get up," he repeated. But again she didn't stir in the slightest.

This time, he shook her more worriedly. "Mei? Are you okay?" When she didn't respond, he began to panic. Xiang quickly leaned closely to check her breathing and it was shallow. Now that he was in such a mindset, he noticed that she looked paler.

"Oh no…" he gasped. Xiang didn't waste a moment's time as he whipped out his cell phone; dialing 911 he quickly explained the situation. Once he hung up, he brushed off the basket from the blanket and swiftly wrapped Mei in the blanket. He lifted the girl, holding her close to him as he ran to the edge of the park where he told the ambulance to meet him.

He was right on cue as the truck rushed onto the side of the street. Paramedics burst out of the back but Xiang was faster as he carried Mei inside. The men barked out questions to him but he only told them that time was of the essence and that he'd explain on their way to the hospital. They reluctantly agreed, seeing the condition that Mei was in.

Only a few minutes passed before they approached the building but every second that ticked away felt like a moment where Mei slipped further and further away from him. The doctors quickly rushed Mei into the emergency wing and while they protested Xiang's presence, they didn't move to stop him from following.

Mei had finally reached a room that was fully supplied with the tools they needed to help her but this was only the start. Or it could have been the beginning to the end.

Xiang was kept at a distance from Mei as the doctors began to stabilize her. He could only watch helplessly as they performed and did what they could to help her. After an agonizing two hours, she appeared to be okay. For now.

The head surgeon approached Xiang quietly. "You must be Xiang. The nurses have all mentioned you and your regular visits to our patient here." He nodded wordlessly to the doctor. "Could I speak to you outside?"

Xiang agreed and followed the surgeon out of the operation room. The doctor turned to Xiang and his expression almost told him everything. "How long…" Xiang asked quietly.

"She'll survive for twenty-four hours at the least. After that time period, I'm afraid she will be beyond our help."

"How did this happen?" he demanded.

"It's been happening," he answered simply. "It's a wonder how she's survived for so long. Her condition was bound to catch up with her eventually. The disease was spreading without restraint for all this time. All we've done is manage to slow it down and hope that her body would be able to fend for itself with all our help. But I'm afraid this is the final result."

"N-no… It can't be…"

The surgeon looked at the boy and his solemn expression showed much sympathy for him. "There is one last option for her."

"What?" Xiang raised his head quickly, his eyes widened as he stared at the white clad man. "What is it?" he demanded.

"Please calm down," the doctor urged. "It's an experimental procedure that we can perform. However, the risks and costs are great."

"What are they?"

"There has only been a 1% rating on its success," he said dreadfully. "And even if she managed to stay alive, the cost of the surgery would most certainly exhaust all of the funds she has."

Xiang stared at the doctor blankly. He remembered now. Mei's parents passed away when she turned ten but they left behind a massive fortune that would provide for Mei for as long as she lived. That was how they were able to keep her on all these different medications for so long. Right now, he didn't know what to think.

"Why are you telling me all this?" he asked quietly.

"Right now, you are the closest person she has. And now her time is running out. This could be her last shot."

"It's not my decision to make…" he said softly. "I'll tell her."

The doctor only nodded toward the boy as he entered Mei's room. They had moved her once she was stable but was still kept on whatever was still keeping her alive. He went over to her bed side, looking down at her paling face and brushed a strand of hair that covered her eyes.

Those deep brown eyes suddenly opened and she looked weakly at Xiang and smiled. "X-Xiang?"

"I'm right here," he said softly, sitting down and holding her hand. His gaze never left hers.

For a long moment, neither of them said a word, only looking at each other and living in that moment. "I guess… my time has come," she finally said.

"The doctor told me you had about a day left."

"Only a day huh…?" she closed her eyes and sighed before opening them again. Even with her eyesight, she saw the sadness that was plain in Xiang's face. "It's okay… I'm glad that you gave me a wonderful day to think about in my final hours. I can't ever thank you enough for that."

"Mei… don't talk like it's all over," he pleaded. "The doctor told me about an operation that could save your life. But the chances aren't good… and it's expensive. You won't have anything left if you do live."

Mei laughed weakly. "What would I even do with all that money? It's worthless to me."

"Mei, I would tell you to go through with this chance but… it's your decision. Do you want to take this low shot at living or enjoy the time you still have left?"

The girl took a deep breath and tightened her grip on his hand. "Xiang… I want to do it. If there's even a chance that I can still live with you… I want to take it. And even if I don't make it… you've given me enough wonderful memories that I could die happy. My only regret would be leaving you alone."

Xiang could feel his eyes threatening to overflow but he remained strong and leaned forward, kissing her softly. "Okay… I'll tell them you want to do it." She smiled at him and as he left her to go tell the surgeon, he hoped that he wasn't just accelerating his path to a broken heart.

The doctors began immediately once they had gone through the proper standards. Xiang was allowed to be in the room and watch as they performed but he had to be kept at a distance. He could visibly see the pain that Mei was going through as they began and the urge to rush to her side and ease her pain in any way he could was constantly running through his veins. But he knew that he had to stay away or risk ruining the one chance she had at survival.

After an hour, things got even worse.

Mei began to scream in pain as the doctors quickly tried to suppress the agony she was going through. At this point, Xiang's endurance broke as he rushed to her side, calling out to her. But before he even got close, the nurses on standby stopped him and had to drag him out of the room to make sure he couldn't do anything that would cause a disaster.

Xiang sat outside in the waiting room, wishing that he hadn't done that. Because as painful as it was to watch Mei go through all of that, he at least known what was happening to her. He was now left outside, the terrible unknown of what was going on gnawing at him. A guard was given orders to keep an eye on him to make sure he wouldn't do anything drastic but he looked sympathetic toward him as well, understanding that he just loved her and wanted to do something.

Hours passed an exhaustion finally overtook Xiang and he doze off. When he was suddenly shook, his eyes snapped open and he turned to see a nurse. "Are you Xiang?" she asked. He nodded and the nurse began to guide him through the hospital. They came to a room that he knew all too well. Mei's room.

"The doctor is inside and will inform you about the patient," she explained.

Xiang thanked the nurse and entered the room. The doctor stood over Mei, looking at his clipboard as he turned to see the Cantonese teen. "Ah Xiang. I guess you want to know what happened."

"Do you even have to ask?" he said rhetorically. Xiang quickly went over to Mei's side and saw that she appeared to be asleep. But appearances could be deceiving.

"I'll get on with it then. The operation was partially successful."

"What do you mean by partially?"

"I mean, she survived the worst of it but I'm afraid that this is the part that claims most of the patients… right now she's asleep. The problem is we don't know when she'll wake up or if she will at all."

"You got to be joking," Xiang gasped.

"I'm afraid not. It all depends on her will to live now." The doctor looked at the shock on Xiang's face and decided that it was best to leave him alone with her.

Xiang collapsed into the chair next to the bed and could only stare blankly at her. Reaching this point and yet she was unreachable now. Slowly he placed his hand in hers, holding it firmly as he looked at her lovingly. "Please come back to me…" he said softly. "If anyone can do this, it's you." Xiang could feel his body tremble as the resistance he held for so long broke away. Tears began to flow from his amber eyes, "Because no matter who it is, for my entire life, you are the only one I love."

With great reluctance, Xiang released her hand and got up to leave. Before he could get far, something brushed against the back of his hand and he quickly turned around, his eyes widening as a smile met his gaze.

"M-Mei?"

"It's good to see you again," she said softly. Xiang's legs buckled as he collapsed to the ground, astonished as he faced her. She frowned slightly, moving her hand and whipping away a stray tear. "Why are you crying?"

Xiang shook his head and quietly hugged her. "I was just worried about how long it would be before I could hear your voice again."

Mei smiled softly and hugged him back. "Did I make you wait long?"

"Not at all."

A bundle of nervousness was tied to Mei as she walked with Xiang to school. "A-are you really sure I'm ready for this?"

"You have to do this sooner or later. Sooner is always better."

"But I'm nervous… what if I don't do well?"

"You'll be fine." Mei groaned and held onto his hand even tighter as they continued on their way.

So much had happened since Mei's operation. The doctors were completely stunned at her recovery speed, not knowing how to even explain it in the slightest. Mei made a dramatic recovery and the disease plaguing her body was completely eradicated. But even though the disease was gone, the damage it had done remained and her eye sight was still just as bad as before but Mei was used to it and it didn't matter to her. Nothing had changed.

Because the operation had exhausted her entire fortune, after she finished recovery, she couldn't hold her place in the hospital. But Xiang was there for her, insisting that he come live with his family and his parents didn't mind in the least, knowing how important she was to him.

Once she had adjusted to the new lifestyle, Mei decided that she wanted to go to school with Xiang now that her health wasn't a problem. And now she was going through with that desire even though she was terrified at the aspect of it.

"What if no one likes me?" she asked worriedly.

"You shouldn't worry about that," he assured. "You're wonderful." Mei seemed a bit unsatisfied with his answer and he sighed, stopping and pulling her into a gentle hug. "And even if they didn't, I will always be here with you."

Mei blushed, "No matter what?"

"No matter what," he said softly.


End file.
